Manual:Infantry Manual:Organization:Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance
A cornerstone of the SFMC Infantry, reconnaissance marines are information gatherers. They go into enemy territory to gather intelligence about enemy forces & structures. That gathered intelligence is then relayed back to a forward operating base or command, so that they can plan missions. Recon marines come in two types; Recon & Force Recon.

Recon
Recon marines are standard information gathers. As stated above, they go behind enemy lines to gather what intelligence they can and report back to their platoon. In addition to information gathering, recon ma-rines may also scout ahead of their larger unit looking for traps, obstacles & possible ambushes. They can also be used to call in support units such as Air, Artillery or call HQ to advise retreat if they spot advancing enemy forces that could overwhelm marines on the ground.

Force Recon
Force Recon marines are specially trained recon operators. Force Recon marines will go further behind ene-my lines than there recon brethren. This means they may operate independently for extended periods of time; staying out of contact with HQ. FORCE recon can also be used for Direct Action operations, but more on that in a moment. Force Recon typically take on two different operation types; Green Ops or Black Ops.
 * Green Ops
 * Green ops are the majority of missions taken on by Force Recon Teams. They will be tasked to go deep behind enemy lines to gather actionable intelligence, travel to & assess damage caused to ene-my operations after artillery strikes have occurred, set up sensors to remotely gather enemy intelli-gence after teams leave the area and finally, scout areas for possible landing & drop zones for pend-ing marine operations.
 * Black Ops
 * Black ops missions are missions of direct action against the enemy. These missions might include seizures of enemy forward operating areas, bases, or vessels. They can also be teamed with a sniper team to assist in the carrying out of a planned assassination. Finally, A black ops mission could be created to provide security for an important person such as the Federation President when they leave Earth.

Recon Team
A recon will have between four to six operators. In a six man team, the following positions will be filled:
 * Point Man - Corporal or Lance Corporal
 * The Point Man scouts the terrain ahead. He looks for hazards, traps & ambushes. He periodically meets with the Team Leader to discuss what he’s found. Since he has to move the quickest, he car-ries the lightest load.
 * Team Leader (Sergeant or Staff Sergeant)
 * The Team Leader is responsible for the team. He’s closest to the Point Man, so he walks second in the group. He makes sure the team stays together & stay on the path as indicated by the Point man.
 * Comm Operator (Corporal)
 * The Comm Operator carries the communications equipment. They work with the Team Leader to re-port what the teams found & to call for help. Their load is heaviest based on the comm gear.
 * Assistant Comm Operator (Corporal or Lance Corporal)
 * The Assistant Comm Operator carries backup comm gear. They also assist the Comm Operator in keeping a clear communication channel open between the team and HQ.
 * Slack Man (Private First Class or Lance Corporal)
 * The Slack Man is the junior member of the team. He is also the team’s mule. The Slack man carries all the equipment, ammo & other gear that team members don’t want to carry. To further his load, they have begun issuing a P-622A2 Squad Automatic Weapon for him to carry.
 * Assistant Team Leader (Sergeant or Corporal)
 * The Assistant Team Leader is charged with team security & accountability. He makes sure the team has no stragglers. If the team needs to halt, then he is the person counting heads. Prior to a mission, the Assistant Team Leader will supervise the tasks given to the other team members. This frees up the Team Leader to plan the mission with HQ.